Chicken Pot Pie

This is a recipe I have been making for years, and is perfect for the after-Thanksgiving use of leftover turkey. The vegetable choices in this pie are limitless, and of course you could change the recipe to beef by using beef bouillon in place of chicken. To be honest I would like to get away from using the manufactured bouillon in this recipe, so I should probably work on a way to remove it...

Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pie
-from unknown recipe book many years ago

2 diced cooked chicken breasts (or turkey or beef)
1 &1/2 to 2 cups each of 3 different veggies depending on what is in season, preferably each a different color!! (pre-cooked & diced)
----potatoes
----turnips
----parsnips
----carrots
----thawed frozen peas
----greens (chard, collards, kale, spinach)
----green beans
----broccoli
some manner of a crust to top with. This part is very adjustable! Make a recipe of biscuits to top with, or a batch of cornbread dough, or top with a single pie crust, or make some pizza dough in a bread maker & top with that. Basically, put a bready dough on top to make a crust, and of course, whole grain is the best!!! Bob prefers the pie crust route, and I agree, with biscuits being a close second.
For the "gravy filling"
6 T butter
1/3 C flour
2 T chicken bouillon
1/4 tsp pepper
4 cups milk

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When bubbly add flour & stir with flat whisk. Then add bouillon & pepper. Let bubble for a while to "toast" the flour.
2. Add milk all at once while whisking in. Continue whisking until well mixed, then gently heat to bubbling. Stir occasionally and let continue to bubble until thickened. (should coat a spoon like white gravy when it's ready)
3. pour gravy into a 3 1/2 to 4 QT casserole. Add in cooked chicken and veggies, stir well, and top with your dough of choice.
4. Bake in oven preheated to 375 degrees for 40 minutes, or until top is golden & pie is bubbling. If using pie crust topper, I recommend a starting temperature of 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then adjust down to 375 for the remaining 30 minutes.

I just made this with produce from the last week at La Vista garden, and I chose carrots, parsnips & chard. It was absolutely delicious. Thanks to Kris, Nate & Stephanie at the garden for a fabulous season!!!

Greens!!!

As always, your comments are appreciated!! Also, do you have questions? Want to know how to cook something that I haven't mentioned yet? Please feel free to ask questions, or ask for recipes. If I don't have the answer I will do my best to help you find it!

This week the share includes Beets, Radishes, Turnips, Kale & collards (thanks to farmer Kris, & interns Nathan & Stephanie!!). That means 5 types of greens to cook & enjoy. How do you like to prepare your greens? I am coming up with new ideas all the time it seems, and they all seem to be pretty tasty.

Here is an easy favorite of greens, corn & cherry tomato (or whatever type of tomato you may have available). The original recipe calls for spinach, which is just wilted directly in the pan. However, if you choose to adapt the recipe for Kale, Broccoli Raab or Collard greens, I recommend boiling the greens for about 3 minutes prior to sauteing them in the pan, to make them tender and remove any bitterness. Beet greens, radish greens & turnip greens will also substitute well in this recipe (no boiling needed).

Spinach With Corn & Tomatoes
Everyday Food, issue #23

2 t olive oil
10 oz frozen corn kernels, thawed
5 ounces spinach finely sliced (or other green as mentioned above)
1 C grape tomatoes, halved (or other tomato as available)
salt & pepper

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add corn kernels, cook until warmed through, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Add spinach, cook until wilted, 1-2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, cook until softened, 1-2 minutes.
3. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Serve warm, cold, or at room temperature. To serve chilled, let cool, then refrigerate, covered, for up to 4 hours.

Enjoy!!